Stockholm & The Archipelago

The long Swedish summer days provide ample opportunity to enjoy Stockholm, ‘Venice of the North’ and its Archipelago with its beautiful castles which rank among the finest in Europe. Many enjoy a lakeside setting and have their lovely original interiors such as Drottningholm, a Baroque royal summer palace, a masterpiece by Nicodemus Tessin; Elghammar, a delightful private country house built by Catherine the Great’s architect, Quarenghi and Gustav III’s Pavilion at Haga, the epitome of Gustavian style.

A walk through island old town,‘Gamla Stan’, of Stockholm reaches back into medieval history and reveals the city’s trade links with the Hanseatic League, and visits to the Stadshuset, location of the Nobel Prize winner’s dinner, and the Thiel Gallery display Scandinavian fine art and architecture at its very best.

Day 1: Thursday, 12th July

London / Stockholm

Depart London Heathrow on a British Airways mid-morning flight to Stockholm. Transfer to the Hotel Diplomat, where four nights are spent. Early evening walking tour of Gamla Stan (Old Town), the historic centre, which mainly occupies the relatively small island of Stadsholmen and is densely packed with picturesque medieval lanes. See the late-medieval cathedral, Storkyrkan, the imposing quadrangular Royal Palace and other public buildings. Drinks and dinner at Restaurant Marten Trotzig.

Day 2: Friday, 13th July

Stockholm & Drottningholm

Morning departure by boat to the royal palace of Drottningholm, masterpiece of Nicodemus Tessin, with its magnificent baroque state rooms and enchanting 18th-century Court Theatre. Hidden in the English park is the exquisite Chinese Pavilion. Visit the palace including a tour of the Drottningholm Court Theatre, which was commissioned by Queen Lovisa Ulrika to replace a previous one destroyed by fire. Opened in 1766 it enjoyed its heyday during the reign of her son Gustav II. The theatre is still in its original state including the stage machinery.

Lunch at Drottningholm Palace Restaurant. Walk through the gardens to the Chinese Pavilion, surrounded by its four smaller buildings, designed by Carl Frederick Adelcrantz between 1763 and 1767, replacing an earlier one. The exquisite interiors are by Jean Eric Rehn and represent the height of Swedish rococo. Return to Stockholm by coach. Guided visit of the Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall), location of the Nobel Prize winner’s dinner. Return to the hotel. Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 3: Saturday, 14th July

Stockholm

Morning visit to Rosendal Palace, situated on the island of Djurgarden. Erected in 1823-27 for King Karl XIV Johan, the former Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, it represents the Swedish adaption of the French Empire style. The construction, designed by architect Frederick Blom, is interesting as it consists of a prefabricated wooden building faced with brick and then rendered. Continue to Thielska Gallery, which contains a unique collection of turn of the century Nordic Art. The original collector, Ernest Thiel, was a banker and close friend of many great artists of his time, such as Edvard Munch, Carl Larsson, Bruno Liljefors and Eugène Jansson.

Seafood lunch at the Lisa Elmqvist Restaurant in the Ostermalmshallen. Afternoon under own arrangements. Dinner cruise through the archipelago as far as Vaxholm. Return to the hotel.

Day 4: Sunday, 15th July

Stockholm

Morning departure by coach to visit Elghammer, Björnlunde, by kind arrangement with the Duchesse d’Otrante. Designed by Catherine the Great’s architect Quarenghi and begun in 1794, is home to a descendant of Fouché, Napolean’s Chief of Police. The style is best described as Russian Palladian. The neoclassical interiors are well preserved while the family wing incorporating an earlier manor house has delightful late-18th century rooms.

Lunch in the Wardshus at Tullgarn. Afternoon visit to Tullgarn Palace, still the summer palace for the Swedish royal family. Built in 1719, it was then rebuilt and redecorated from 1772 for Gustav III’s younger brother in the delicate neoclassical style pioneered by the king. Continue to a private castle rarely opened to the public. Dinner at Fem Små Hus Restaurant.

Day 5: Monday, 16th July

Stockholm / London

Morning departure (with luggage) to visit Gustav III’s Pavilion at Haga, dating from 1788. Built by Olof Tempelman, with interiors by Louis Masreliez, it represents the height of the “Gustavian” style, inspired by the King’s visit to Italy and his enthusiasm for antique art and the excavations at Pompeii.

Depart for Stockholm Arlanda airport for an afternoon British Airways flight to London Heathrow arriving in the late afternoon.